A very Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Valentine’s day

Sometimes it really is all in a name: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Since the early ’90s Bone Thugs have blended straight-up thuggery with some sweet Temptations-style harmonies, creating one of the most distinctive rap/soul hybrids of the hip-hop era; all the while maintaining a street edge separating them from other ’90s neo doo-woppers like Boyz II Men.

The group’s best-known hit, ’97’s gospel-tinged tribute to deceased rapper Eazy-E, “Tha Crossroads,” won them a Grammy, and MTV ranked Bone Thugs-N-Harmony number 12 on their list of “25 Best Rap Groups Of All Time,” calling them the most melodic hip-hop group ever (they were also featured on MTV Party to Go Vol. 10 — let’s put that in perspective: Los Del Mar’s “Macarena” and 2Pac’s “California Love” also made the cut that year).

You may also know their collaborations with 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G — but don’t call Bone Thugs a ’90s-dead-rapper-bad-luck-charm or washed-up relic of the Clinton years. The group has stayed ridiculously prolific well into the 21st Century; they’ve released six albums since “Tha Crossroads” brought them widespread fame, fostering a devoted fan-base and spinning off a host of well-known rappers surnamed Bone, notably Krayzie and Wish.

Krayzie and Wish Bone left the group for a time to establish solo careers, but now the reunited Bone Thugs are harmonizing again, prepping a new album for 2013, The Art of War: World War III. “I really look forward to getting back out there and reaching our fans and giving them what they been wanting for a very long time, and that’s a tour with all five members,” Krayzie Bone says.

About the Author

William Kennedy is a freelance writer, professional pop-culture nerd, and bookseller at the U of O Bookstore. He lives in Eugene with his wife and daughter who politely accommodate his obsession with Doctor Who. His work can be read in the Eugene Weekly, Willamette Week, Oregon Music News and Eugene Magazine.